2021 Toyota Tacoma problems & reliability
80 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma. Last verified Sep 21, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
8 complaints report injuries (15 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Toyota Tacoma vehicles were involved in 103 fatal crashes with 42 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 14 | 18% |
| Service Brakes → | 12 | 15% |
| Unknown / Other | 12 | 15% |
| Engine → | 11 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 11% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 9 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 7 | 9% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 8% |
| Structure | 6 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 21 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Driving in town 30 to 40mph, (while in drive) the vehicle rev’d up like it was in neutral then went back to normal. That is concerning because it will cause transmission problems & pulling onto a road the truck could shift to (neutral) causing it to not go.”
Power Train · filed Sep 8, 2026
“The cabin air pressure vents behind the back seat are leaking letting water into the vehicle. The seals have dried up. It's causing a moldy smell in the vehicle.”
Structure · filed Aug 29, 2026
“Having two issues major issues that’s causing me a $10,000 bill. The timing cover is leaking and there is a coolant bypass hose that is leaking. I have spend a lot of maintenance on this truck on maintaining it to have to remove the engine. As for the forward collision warning ive had it go off multiple times witout a…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Aug 8, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
165 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Toyota Tacoma. The 10 most recent:
OBSOLETE NOTICE January 30, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0001-26.
T-SB-0106-22 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 30, 2026
Some 2018 – 2024 model year Toyota vehicles equipped with a Premium Audio with Dynamic Navigation System require a Special Service Tool (SST) USB flash drive to update the map, points of interest, and system software.
T-SB-0001-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 28, 2026
Some 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…
T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 7, 2026
Toyota has received some reports of paint peeling along the exterior door window frames, front inner fenders as can been seen with the hood open, and on the A-pillars on certain Tacoma vehicles with 040 Super White…
23TE08 · Service Campaign · issued Nov 11, 2025
Customer Support Program 23TE08 Paint Repair Process Job Aid
23TE08 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 31, 2025
Technical instructions for customer support program 23te08 coverage for paint peeling on exterior door frames, front inner fenders and a-pillars certain 2016-2022 model year tacoma
23TE08 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 31, 2025
Toyota has received some reports of paint peeling along the exterior door window frames, front inner fenders as can been seen with the hood open, and on the A-pillars on certain Tacoma vehicles with 040 Super White…
23TE08 · Service Campaign · issued Jul 31, 2025
To assist with the early detection and early resolution of audio related concerns you may be asked to recover MMR data from the head unit. The following steps are instructions on how to retrieve the data from the system…
T-TT-0780-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 2, 2025
To assist with the early detection and early resolution of audio related concerns you may be asked to recover MMR data from the head unit. The following steps are instructions on how to retrieve the data from the system…
T-TT-0780-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 2, 2025
Some 2018 – 2024 model year Toyota vehicles equipped with a Premium Audio with Dynamic Navigation System require a Special Service Tool (SST) USB flash drive to update the map, points of interest, and system software…
T-SB-0106-22 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 11, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2021 Toyota Tacoma in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2021 Toyota Tacoma?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.